News Releases

Environmental Sampling to Begin at Raymark Superfund Site in Stratford, Conn.

(Boston, Mass. - July 21, 2009) – EPA will begin sampling approximately 300 monitoring wells installed around the former Raymark Facility in Stratford, Conn. The very visible, but low-impact well inspection and sampling activities begin this week and will extend through the fall.

The wells are primarily on public streets with a limited number of wells located on private commercial and residential properties. The well clusters generally contain 2 - 3 wells of different depths grouped together at several dozen locations between the former facility on East Main Street and the Housatonic River.

The sampling crews will be utilizing small vans and pick-up trucks for the well inspections and sampling. The usual work day for the sampling will be between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Prior to groundwater sampling, wells are inspected and evaluated to determine whether they need to be "developed." Development essentially cleans out accumulated sediments and allows a water sample to be removed. After development, sampling of each well involves installing a long cylindrical pump into the well to extract groundwater at various depths. It can take up to two hours to perform this sampling at each monitoring well.

Soil gas samples will also be collected at a number of the permanent monitoring stations located within the residential area bounded by Housatonic Avenue and Ferry Boulevard. These locations are again primarily in the public streets, co-located with the groundwater wells.

EPA is performing this comprehensive sampling to provide the data that will be used to update the 2003 Groundwater Remedial Investigation Report and to complete the Feasibility Study that will discuss the possible cleanup options for the groundwater and its associated vapors which have been monitored by EPA over the past several years. EPA is currently planning a Proposed Plan to address groundwater in 2010 or 2011.

Results of the groundwater and soil gas sampling are anticipated to be published in 2010 as part of the third Five Year Review for the Raymark Superfund Site.

Raymark Industries was a manufacturer of automotive brakes, clutch parts, and other friction components, primarily for the automotive industry. Raymark and its predecessors operated at a 34-acre parcel at 75 East Main Street in Stratford from 1919 until 1989 when operations ceased. Raymark's manufacturing waste was historically disposed of as fill at 75 East Main Street, at a minimum of 46 residential properties, and at numerous commercial and municipal properties in Stratford. EPA has taken response actions at a number of these properties.